Headache Diet Tips: 7 Foods That Can Trigger Headaches

Many people are suffering from different types of headaches that include a tension headache, sinus and migraine. In fact, there are about 38 million Americans who have migraines regularly. To inhibit your headaches worsen you must avoid food that can trigger its symptoms.

Food And Headaches

"If someone tells me that a certain food triggers their migraines, I'm not going to argue with them. They should avoid that food," said Lucy Rathier, Ph.D. Clinical associate professor in the department of psychiatry and human behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Many experts say that some food can really trigger headaches. Everyday Health and Health Central listed the following food that triggers headaches:

There is about 22 percent of headache sufferers said that chocolate triggers their headaches. This is because of the caffeine, tannin and Phenylethylamine that chocolate contains.

2. Aged Cheese

Aged cheese such as Swiss, parmesan, Gouda, cheddar and blue cheese contain tyramine, which cause migraines. "There is not much research on cheese as a migraine trigger, but it is generally agreed that aged cheese is more likely to cause a headache," said an expert.

3. Red Wine and Other Alcohol

Red wine has the preservative that is called sulfite that triggers headaches. The alcohol causes the increase of blood flow to your brain and results in dehydration. This leads to headaches. Robert Daroff, MD, professor of neurology, said that alcohol may trigger migraines and cluster headaches.

4. Foods with MSG and Soy Sauce

Foods with MSG or monosodium glutamate have been found to cause a headache. Soy sauce contains MSG too.

5. Ice Cream

It's not really the cream of ice cream that triggers headaches, but it's the ice. When you eat the ice cream too fast, there would be a stabbing pain which is the reaction to cold. Daroff suggests that you have to eat the ice cream slowly.

6. Processed Meats

Hot dogs, lunch meats and bacon have preservatives called nitrates and nitrites. These dilate the blood vessels and trigger headaches.

7. Beans

Beans such as kidney beans, string beans, lima beans and navy beans are potential food triggers of a headache. They contain tannin that causes a headache.